Chapter 28

 

A half hour after Aardvark sent the information to The Authority headquarters, Mrs. B discreetly led the Gems outside to the front of Grandma’s house. Aardvark stood near a stretch-limo parked on a side street and held open the back door for them.

Once inside the limo, Mrs. B called out to Aardvark. “Cone of silence mode, if you please.”

He nodded and activated something on the dash. A low hum radiated around the vehicle, something Emma remembered from the first time they’d used this device. Mrs. B touched her fingers to a tiny square on the roof pillar, which exposed a hidden panel inside the limo. Mrs. B took out a tablet attached by USB cable and tapped in a code. The monitor just behind the driver’s compartment flickered to life. Begin Signal Scramble Mode flashed on screen. Then Transmission Link Established.

An older Indian man flashed on the screen.

Mrs. B addressed him. “Aardvark informs me your section has news, Mr. O.”

“Indeed,” the man called Mr. O replied. “Code one satellite sweep of the global seed vault facility is complete. Nothing is out of the ordinary. No alerts from the Norwegian security forces regarding the facility. We also analyzed all communications from the facility in the last month. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. We checked all Norwegian security forces computer servers for any recent officer assignments to that facility. No new assignments. We even checked for emails referencing the facility in general. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. I will continue the satellite surveillance and alert you with any new details.”

Mrs. B nodded. “Excellent job from your section, Mr. O.” She switched off the screen and held her cane closer to her. “Well, that is that. Is it possible that Jacqueline’s obscure and cryptic blathering could be only a generalization, Emma?”

“She’s a nut job,” Miyuki said.

“Our venom flows through the veins of the animal. Its death is certain,” Olivia repeated as she crossed her arms. “Sounds like a motto they say at their flipping secret meetings. Did the woman look like she was just messing with your head?”

“No. She looked confident,” Emma said. “She played off Mr. Raymond’s capture like it was nothing, like whatever we uncovered didn’t faze her. That’s what makes me think Venomous has something bigger going on.”

Mrs. B examined Emma as her mind sorted through the information. “I’m sorry, but we have no evidence to support your hypothesis. It’s possible that the plot at Raymond Foods could have been the first phase of a larger plan. The second phase might have been the other food companies Bertrand mentioned that he visited. He could have been preparing those sites for a future operation.”

Emma frowned. But she was so sure.

“I think it’s safe to say that the plot at Raymond Foods has been rooted out, thanks to you young ladies.”

“Can we go to Norway to have a look anyway?” Olivia asked. “Just in case?”

“I’m not sending you girls to the Arctic circle to prove a hunch. We pride ourselves on collecting data. Facts. We only act on facts, not hunches. Hunches need to be proved. You don’t risk people’s lives on them.”

“How are we risking our lives?” Miyuki asked. “We just hide in bushes and observe.”

“Ladies, this Norwegian facility is located at the base of a mountain. The only road in is heavily monitored and patrolled. Therefore, you would have to hike through the forest in subzero temperatures and survive in that climate for hours to properly observe the facility in question. You might even be forced to climb up the mountain and rappel down it in order to observe it. You girls are not trained to take on a mission like that.” Mrs. B checked her watch. “It’s getting a bit late for my taste. Did you have a chance to speak with your grandmother, Emma?”

Emma balked. If she said the wrong thing to Mrs. B, her grandmother could be in danger.

“I’ll need more time. She’s…stubborn.”

Mrs. B gripped the top of her cane. “That, your grandmother is. All right, I’ll have Aardvark drive me back now. Then I’ll send him back to collect all of you when you’re ready to leave. I’m sure you girls would like to stay and socialize. Please enjoy yourselves. You girls deserve it.”

The Gems emptied out of the limo. Aardvark nodded to them as he guided the long vehicle down the street.

Miyuki and Nadia walked across the street to Grandma’s house and stopped when they realized Emma and Olivia weren’t with them.

“What do you think?” Emma asked Olivia.

“I don’t like it. It feels wrong. Call me paranoid, fine. But it was way too easy to nab Mr. Raymond. All of it felt false to me. When you told us your theory…it then made perfect sense. A woman like Jacqueline wouldn’t give up that easy. She’s still up to something.”

“Maybe the Norwegian place isn’t the target. Maybe it’s something else.”

“And yet…nothing else makes sense. Nadia’s right. Bertrand must have set up some kind of remote network to control all those systems since Venomous doesn’t have enough people to be at all those places at once. So their operation would need to have a command and control center.”

Emma thought about it. “Somewhere that’s protected. Somewhere safe. Secure. Like a castle or a fort.”

“Or a global seed vault built inside a mountain?” Miyuki asked, joining them.

Olivia crossed her arms. “I have this eerie feeling we’ll catch those Venomous twits in Norway with their hands in the cookie jar.”

“Why does it matter?” Nadia asked as she approached the group. “We’re not permitted to go.”

Emma ignored her. “I could buy us plane tickets with my credit card. But where do we get equipment?”

“We buy our climbing gear in Norway,” Miyuki said, excitement bubbling in her words. “And our winter clothing!”

Olivia nodded. “Should be easy to find that in Norway.”

“We can’t go without Mrs. B’s permission.” Nadia glanced at Olivia. “Please tell me you’re not considering this idea, are you?”

“Mrs. B didn’t exactly order us not to take a look. She just thought it was dangerous.”

Nadia looked panicked. “It sounded dangerous to me too. How do we get climbing equipment? Steal it? Mrs. B took away your special credit card, didn’t she?”

“I have my Visa gold card,” Emma said. “The tickets, clothing, equipment, I got it.”

“But we can’t do this without orders.” Nadia looked totally stressed out. “We’ll be in so much trouble.”

Miyuki smiled. “I say we go have a lookie.”

“Of course you would,” Nadia snapped. “You’re the craziest girl I’ve ever met in my life. You have, like, this death wish.”

“Hey, chill out,” Emma said.

“And why do you pretend to know everything?” Nadia fumed. “You’re a good actress, but you don’t fool me. I’m not risking my life on your half-baked theories. You’re not even a part of our group. You were our cover for the mission. That’s it. Now, the mission is over and you can walk away to your rich and ultra-extravagant lifestyle while the rest of us try to struggle to live a clean and healthy life in poverty.” Nadia stormed off into the house.

Emma shook her head in total disbelief. “I always thought Nadia liked me.”

“It’s not you, love. She’s been stressing about this mission for a long time now,” Olivia said.

“Stressing?” Emma shot her a look. “How can you tell?”

“She’s always so quiet,” Miyuki added.

“And quiet girls hold it all inside until they burst open like the Hindenburg.” Olivia took out her phone and filled out a text. “Give me a moment and I’ll go talk her into it.”

“Are you texting Mrs. B?” Miyuki asked.

“Don’t be daft. I’m shooting Aardvark a message. I want him to pick me up a few things from EQ division on his way back here. He’s such a sweetheart.”

 

***

 

The Gems took an overnight flight to New York, then hopped on a second plane that flew them to Oslo, Norway. From there, a regional flight landed them in Narvik where Rothchild Industries helped Emma rent a big four-wheel-drive Range Rover. Emma then bought all the Gems brand-new winter clothing and climbing equipment. Finally, stowed in back of the Rover was a gift Aardvark had brought the girls from EQ division.

Olivia drove the girls into the mountains that ran along the western coast of Norway. The wind blew snow across the windshield as the Rover navigated the two-lane road. The weather itself was clear, only a strong north wind was kicking up the snow that had fallen yesterday. The late afternoon sun tried its best to pierce through the blowing snow.

“I still don’t like this,” Nadia said from the backseat. Her arms crossed. Her eyes burning into the window.

Emma scoffed in the front seat. “Unbelievable.”

“You could’ve stayed behind, love,” Olivia said.

“And be interrogated by Mrs. B when she finds you three gone? That’s not a real choice, thank you.”

“So you couldn’t bring yourself to rat on your true friends,” Miyuki said with a bounce in her voice.

“True friends wouldn’t put me in this position.”

“Can we leave her in the car?” Emma asked.

“You’re so rude. I—”

“I’ll ditch you both with the flipping car if you don’t shut it,” Olivia said. “This is serious. We need to focus, alright?”

Olivia followed the directions from her satellite phone’s sophisticated GPS system, which had her turn off the main road and take another road that bordered a large perimeter fence.

“I thought Mrs. B said this road was monitored?” Emma asked.

“Right, but we should give the easy way a try first. You never know.” Olivia turned the wheel and the Rover came across a checkpoint of some type. A heavy metal gate supported by heavy concrete posts blocked the road. A sign announced This is a Norwegian Government Facility. NO Trespassing.

“If I give the word,” Olivia said, “rush these guys and take them.”

“What if they’re real Norwegian army guards?” Emma asked.

“Let me worry about that. Just be ready.”

Olivia pulled the Range Rover up to the closed gate. Two soldiers with Norwegian flags on their shoulders emerged from the building. One soldier approached Olivia’s side of the vehicle while the other did a check around the vehicle. The first soldier tapped on Olivia’s window and she flicked a switch to bring it down. The soldier asked her something in Norwegian.

“Sorry. Can’t speak the native lingo. Do you speak English, love?”

“Why are you here?” the soldier asked in broken English with a distinct Norwegian accent.

Olivia pointed ahead. “Is that the way to the ski lodge? We turned way back there and I think I got us bloody lost.”

“No ski area here. The one you want is forty-three kilometers south of here.”

“What’s up there? That’s a lovely mountain for skiing.”

“Government facility. No trespassing. No visitors. Back up your vehicle and head back to the public road.”

“Is there a place to eat around here? We’ve been driving for ages. Do they have something hot to drink up at that facility of yours?”

Emma poked her head over Olivia’s lap. “I could use some hot chocolate or coffee. Do you have any of that?”

“This is a government facility. There is no hot chocolate, no coffee, and no skiing. Turn your vehicle around.”

The second guard acted more nervous, handling his machine gun clumsily for someone whose main job was holding a gun. And Emma noticed his skin was darker.

“It’ll be nightfall before we get to our lodge,” Olivia said. “I hate to get lost again, especially in a foreign country. Mind if we park just over there and camp for the night? We won’t be a bother.”

“Go back to the road or we will arrest you for trespassing.” The guard pulled back the charging handle on his machine gun, making his point clear.

“Right. We’ll clear off then,” Olivia said.

She put the Range Rover in reverse, then turned it around and headed away from the checkpoint.

“That second soldier was Latino or Spanish,” Emma said.

“He tried to hide his face too,” Miyuki added.

“But that bloke I spoke with was real,” Olivia said. “We need to get a bird’s-eye view while there’s still light.”

Olivia pulled the Rover to the side of the road and popped open the cargo door. Together, the Gems took out a box and opened it. They pulled out a small drone and snapped its four propellers into place.

Inside the Rover, Nadia opened her new laptop and accessed the drone’s piloting software. The little drone hummed into life as its propellers spun. Nadia then handed a video game controller to Olivia, who studied the laptop screen. Emma and Miyuki looked like giants through the drone’s wide-angle lens as they stood over it.

“Clear,” Olivia shouted as her thumb pushed on the little stick for power.

On the screen, the giant images of Miyuki and Emma dropped away as the drone shot up into the air and hovered. Olivia manipulated the controller like a pro as she commanded the drone to fly towards the facility.

Nadia peeked over Olivia’s shoulder. “I’m having the laptop record the drone’s video output just in case.”

Emma and Miyuki jumped into the Rover and shook off the cold.

“That looks like fun,” Miyuki said.

Olivia hovered the drone above the Norwegian facility. They could see the front gate where they had talked to the soldiers. The outer buildings of the facility stuck out from the mountain they were built into. A couple of army trucks were parked to the side.

“There’s a hiking trail up the mountain,” Olivia said. “See how there’s a line crisscrossing through the trees and rounding the base of the mountain above those buildings? It must be just outside the fence perimeter. Could be a way to drop in.”

“Yes. But everything is peaceful. Like in those satellite photos,” Miyuki said.

Olivia swung the drone over to the other side of the compound for another angle. There was no activity at all.

“Looks like Emma’s theory was completely wrong. I’m not surprised.” Nadia threw her a look that made Emma want to smack her.

Olivia’s thumbs worked the joysticks. She brought the drone a few feet above the ground as she buzzed near one of the outer buildings. The camera found a window and zoomed into a blur. Then the auto-focus took over to reveal a hallway. There were two men with rifles standing guard by a door.

“Those blokes are not in Norwegian army uniforms,” Olivia said.

“Black military fatigues,” Miyuki said. “Different uniforms than the guards we encountered had.”

“Let’s see what they’re guarding.” Olivia nudged her controls and the drone silently drifted over to the next window and peeked inside the room. Through the glass, there were around fifty men in Norwegian military uniforms, all of them tied up on the floor. “Oh that’s brilliant. Must be the facility’s real garrison. Venomous has control of this place all right.”

“We should free the soldiers,” Miyuki said.

“We should first contact Mrs. B and let her know what’s going on,” Nadia said.

“I’ll call her,” Olivia said.

“Think she’ll be pissed that we’re here and using this equipment without permission?” Emma asked.

The three girls flashed Emma a collective look. What do you think?

Olivia placed the call.

“Why are you in Norway?” Mrs. B’s voice was sharp over the satellite phone, the speaker amplifying her anger.

“It’s my fault, Mrs. B,” Emma said. “I wanted to see for myself and I dragged—”

“Emma, we all came voluntarily,” Olivia said. “You should be cross with all of us. Not just Emma.”

Nadia rolled her eyes and tossed her angry stare out the window of the Rover.

“You should have told me what you were up to. I do not appreciate being lied to,” Mrs. B said.

“I understand, ma’am. But what’s important is that Venomous has taken over the facility,” Olivia said. “We found the garrison tied up under guard and—”

“Yes. Yes. We know about all that,” Mrs. B said.

“You do?”

“Venomous just released a demand to the United Nations. Either the world pays them fifty billion dollars or they’ll incinerate the world’s food supply.”